UCF basketball looks to start new winning streak at Southern Miss

No. 23 Knights hit the road to play talented Golden Eagles

(Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated…)

January 14, 2011|By Iliana Limón, Orlando Sentinel

UCF sophomore guard Marcus Jordan said the Knights are eager to start another streak.

No. 23 UCF (14-1 overall, 1-1 in Conference USA), plays at Southern Miss (13-3 overall, 2-1 in C-USA) Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum. The game will not be broadcast on television.

The Knights had a week off after falling 76-71 at Houston Jan. 8. It was UCF's first loss of the 2010-11 season.

"It was definitely a tough loss, but we knew the streak was going to end some time," Jordan said. "I think we got after it this week in practice and we were competing really hard. We kind of have a sour taste in our mouth after our first loss and we don't want to repeat it."

"Gary Flowers is a headline guy for them and really makes their offense effective," UCF coach Donnie Jones said. "They're very well coached and are a strong defensive team. They're going to be tough to beat on the road."

Jordan is UCF's leading scorer with 16.3 points per contest, but Jones is challenging Clanton to be more aggressive and a tougher playmaker for the Knights inside. Clanton is averaging 15.7 points per game this season, but just 13.5 points in Conference USA play.

UCF junior point guard A.J. Rompza is expected to play against the Golden Eagles despite missing practice with a foot injury.